At CES 2023, Peugeot is unveiling its Inception concept, reminiscent of the 2018 e-Legend prototype. With a design that should inspire future production models from 2025 and a new steering wheel concept.
If Peugeot no longer officially plans to (re)launch in the United States, it is at CES in Las Vegas that the French brand chose this Thursday to unveil its latest concept. Called Inception, this prototype of course aims to make people dream, but also contains in substance design elements that will be found on production models from 2025.
In its lines, this Inception can make you think at first glance of the e-Legend concept, star of the Paris Motor Show in 2018. But, instead of the two-door coupe inspired by the legendary 504, there is rather a large 5-meter-long sedan with much more futuristic accents, with a large windscreen that slips under a bonnet reduced to the bare minimum. From neo-retro automobile, we thus move on to neo, period.
Under this body, the Inception is based on the STLA Large platform, one of the future common technical bases dedicated to 100% electric cars of the 14 brands of the Stellantis group.
NASA Hall of Mirrors
Peugeot announces a range of 800 kilometers thanks to a 100kWh battery. The 800 volt architecture allows it to take a very fast charge, with the possibility of recovering 150 kilometers of autonomy in 5 minutes.
On the performance side: the combined power of the two engines is announced at 680 horsepower, for a 0 to 100 km/h in less than 3 seconds.
Inside, the atmosphere is refined and very modern. Very bright too with no less than 7.25 m2 of glazed area. No fear of being dazzled or overheated thanks to the use of glass originally designed for architecture. It “retains its exceptional thermal qualities and benefits from a multichroic treatment (treatment with metal oxide baths), a process initially used for the visor of astronaut helmets by NASA”, underlines the Peugeot press release.
Peugeot reinvents the steering wheel with its Hypersquare
We also discover on this concept a surprising steering wheel: Peugeot does not use this term but evokes an “unpublished Hypersquare command”. Logical since it cannot (a priori) really turn… like a classic steering wheel.
“Fingertips with simple clicks or presses, you control all the driving parameters and the steer-by-wire technology (the steering wheel is no longer mechanically connected to the wheels, editor’s note) makes driving more instinctive and simple, like in a video game but this in real life,” the statement said.
Peugeot seems convinced, evoking “a new natural gesture, simpler and safer”, with “unparalleled comfort in driving”.
But how to turn concretely? Difficult to understand by reading the press release, but one can imagine that it is necessary to touch one of the four cells with the thumb, with “a gesture close to that which we develop on a daily basis with our smartphones”. To see if we can test this futuristic order in the short term: Peugeot aims to introduce it on a model before 2030.
New generation of the i-cockpit
Behind this reinvented steering wheel, Peugeot highlights the new generation of the i-cockpit, a term which for many years has designated its interiors and in particular the direct environment of the driver.
The screens, ubiquitous in current models, appear almost hidden and with a restful display.
The counter screen, the “Halo Cluster” is also reinvented with a rather confusing circular shape. It is not a giant compass but a 360 degree screen, allowing to establish “external communication” with other road users for example.
Last obligatory passage point for a concept car of the 21st century: autonomous driving. During the driving delegation phases, the steering wheel, or rather the “Hypersquare”, retracts to make way for a large panoramic screen which unfolds from the vehicle floor.
